School admissions in Taunton
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 20 of these schools also have a published admissions cutoff distance. Sorted by first preferences per place. We don't invent rankings: the order is arithmetic on a published figure, not a view about which school is better.
Taunton in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 39 schools in Taunton first 1,018 times for 1,018 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Somerset authority's 208 schools. 8 of the 39 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 6 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.43 miles (Staplegrove Church School) to 2.07 miles (Thurlbear Church of England Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 4 schools in Taunton first 948 times for 892 places: 1.06 first choices per place, against 1.01 across the Somerset authority's 24 schools. 2 of the 4 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Bishop Fox's School, to 1.12 miles.
Totals for the schools listed on this page. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE; last-offer distances as the council published them.
Reception places, September 2026
39 schools. 8 received more first preferences than they had places.
First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.
Year 7 places, September 2026
4 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Castle School | 1.42 | 237 | 0.377 miles |
| Bishop Fox's School | 1.28 | 224 | 1.121 miles |
| Kingsmead Academy | 0.84 | 167 | not published |
| Monkton Wood Academy | 0.70 | 264 | not published |
First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.